Viewpoints

To the Editor:

On behalf of our team at Helping Services for Youth & Families, my gratitude to the community for supporting 2018 Holiday Lights!  This support is crucial in ensuring programs at Helping Services continue to thrive in communities throughout northeast Iowa.

Over 400 volunteers helped with Holiday Lights, from setting up displays to greeting visitors. The popular Walk-Through Night attracted over 1,500 visitors, a 150% increase from the previous year. The donated soup, cookies, coffee and hot chocolate were once again a big hit.

During the event visitors helped us break the all-time attendance record for Holiday Lights by 281 cars. We are grateful to report that free will donations to benefit programs at Helping Services surpassed $35,000 for the first time. Good weather and the public’s enthusiasm made for another remarkable Holiday Lights’ year.

To the Editor:

In the early 2000s, Allamakee County had a million dollar surplus. The last I read in the paper it was put in a Waukon bank on interest.

Now, by the Rule of 72, if it was on interest, say, for two percent, it would double in 36 years. So, it’s been 18 years. Gee, we only have 18 years to go.

Who’s in charge of such a mass amount of money? But it’s growing.

Earl Jones
Harpers Ferry
 

The True Christmas Spirit
 
I remember when I was a child how exciting Christmas time was. How we waited and waited for Christmas to get here. It seemed like it took forever. As a child there seemed to be a special spirit or feeling in the air at Christmas time. It was a feeling of excitement and happiness that only children experience.

But when I got older, about 12 years old or so, I remember feeling disappointed because that feeling of Christmas was no longer there, like it used to be. I tried to get it back but it would never be the same again.

But then a new Christmas spirit replaced the old one. Christmas took on a much deeper meaning. Now I was old enough to understand what Christmas was really all about. Those Christmas Carols: Away In A Manger, Silent Night, Joy To The World, and O Holy Night, began to take on a new meaning.

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the one supervisor who recognizes that remote camping will always be remote camping. It was that way when the tents were there, and no amount of pressure should ever try to normalize an area that is not normal. Traffic count can be faked. Where does the traffic go at the end of a one-mile ribbon? Does it end at the end of the rainbow, or at the end of the other one-mile strip - the field of dreams?

When getting my hair cut recently, my beautician commented that she noticed a couple of black hairs - that I must be getting ready for my next life. November 21, when I picked up my mail, I said, “Oh, my first hate mail!” It turned out it was a thank you note.

It did my heart good to see Matt Brandt call out the editor for printing what he thought was hate speech. I thought now that the elections are over, some of the political narrative could well be toned down.

To the Editor:

Hopefully you visited a small business on this year’s ninth annual Small Business Saturday November 24. If you did, your efforts and those of many others made a big impact.

This year’s total reported spending of those who said they shopped at independent retailers and restaurants reached a record high of $17.8 billion, according to the 2018 Small Business Consumer Insights Survey from American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB.) That makes it clear that Small Business Saturday and your support of it makes a big difference in sales that help small businesses prosper and grow. Since 2010, the study reports estimated sales at $103 billion.

The following are tributes submitted in honor of Dick Schilling - former editor and editor emeritus of this and other publications under the Waukon newspaper realm over the past five decades - following his unexpected passing November 27. Those wishing to submit their own tributes for publication here may do so by sending an email to news@waukonstandard.com or mailing their submission to The Standard, P.O. Box 286, Waukon, IA 52172.

I was saddened to learn of Dick Schilling’s death. I always looked forward to reading his weekly column and had been a faithful reader for years. His comments were insightful and often brought a smile to my face.

To the Editor:

Medicaid makes it possible for thousands of low-income Iowans - low-income children and adults, people with disabilities and seniors - to access quality health care services without having to choose between being healthy and paying the rent.

We also know our state’s Medicaid program isn’t working as well as it should. But it has become so politicized that a productive conversation on how to fix the program is nearly impossible.

The election is over. It’s time to listen to Iowans, build on the good things Medicaid does and fix the things that aren’t working. Iowans are great problem solvers; we know how to find practical solutions.

In Allamakee County, 27 percent of kids get their health insurance through Medicaid or hawk-i. Statewide, more than 550,000 Iowans are covered by Medicaid.

The following are tributes submitted in honor of former editor and editor emeritus Dick Schilling following his November 27 passing. Those wishing to submit their own tributes may do so by email at news@waukonstandard.com or by mail to The Standard, P.O. Box 286, Waukon, IA 52172.

It was with a sense of loss when I read on the Martin Funeral Home website that Dick Schilling had passed away. I am old enough to remember when the Hulls had the Waukon newspaper and remember when Dick started working for the Waukon newspapers (back in the day when there were two issues - one the Republican and the other the Democrat).

Clear Vision and Words That Both Inform and Unite

Two longtime members of our community of Waukon and the faith community of St. Patrick Parish have died recently. Their professions, and what they did to serve our community, can relate to the Season of Advent and the coming Feast of Christmas.

Dick Schilling’s funeral was Monday, December 3. Dick served as editor of the Waukon Standard for 36 years! To serve for that length of time as editor in one community is remarkable. Dick had written his column “And Then I Wrote…” from 1965 until just two weeks ago. Dick was a man of his word and a man who knew the importance of words. When we think of the power of words to unite, challenge and encourage, we realize just how important our local paper (and our radio station) are for us.

To the Editor:

Phone calls, e-mails, like comments, and even hugs were more than I ever anticipated after my previous letters published in The Standard dated 11-14-18 and 11-28-18. Did I expose some things that were never meant to see the light of day? “The more you stir a stinking mess, the more it stinks” (not my words). How about we all start stirring?

For those who didn’t understand my reference to cost of a culvert versus the cost of a bridge, let me explain. The difference could well be a million or few, besides a road closure for four to six months, plus a change order if we forgot something. You may someday be shocked if you see a couple toll booths at the foot of fairground hill.

I have gotten no answers to questions I put forth. I can understand that they may not want to “own” the situation. When will the planner reveal his hand, streets rebuilt or maintained? We now know that maintained is assumed to be free and yet we are all paying for it.